"A Rose Blooms Twice" by Vikki Kestell

Rose Brownlee is 32, happily married, and the mother of three children. In an instant, everything is snatched from her – the family’s carriage overturns on an icy bridge, Rose is thrown clear to the rocks below, and the carriage is swept into the wintry river. She loses her husband and the children.

Weeks later, recovering from her own injuries, Rose decides to head west toward the new lands opening up on the vast American prairie. Her husband has left her extremely well off financially, and she decides to travel by train however long she decides to travel. She finally stops in the small farming town of Riverbend, a town settled by Americans and immigrants from Norway, Ireland, and other countries. 

She decides to stay, for however long she wants to stay. She buys a house, she makes friends, and she begins attending the town’s one church. And it’s in Riverbend that Rose will find the true meaning of faith, the embrace of community, and the beginning of a return from her personal tragedy. She’ll also find love.

Vikki Kestell

A Rose Blooms Twice by Vikki Kestell is the first of eight books in “A Prairie Heritage” series. First published in 2012, it is a historical novel that falls in the “faith-filled, inspirational” genre. It is also an addicting read.

Before beginning her writing career, Kestell worked in government, academia, and corporate arenas, holding a Ph.D. degree in Organizational Learning and Instruction. She has also written four books in the “Nanostealth” series, three in “Girls from the Mountain” series, and several in the “Laynie Portland Spy” series, as well as a Bible study entitled “Growing Up in God.”

A Rose Blooms Twice is not all an “everything turns out wonderful” story. Rose faces personal danger, snakes, locusts, and several blizzards, and manages to find the faith and inner strength to live through all. It’s a heartwarming, inspiring story.